Absorbent bandage.



No. 810,121. PATENTED JAN. 16, 1900.

W. R. GREEN.

ABSORBENT BANDAGE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNI; 1o, 1904.

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IINITED STATES PATENT OFFICEA WILLARD R. GREEN, OF MUSCATINE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN ABSORBENT FIBER COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ABSORBENT BANDAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

To all whom, it Wwty concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD R. GREEN, a citizen of thel United States, residing in Muscatine, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Absorbent Bandages, of

which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to bandages, and more particularly to absorbent bandages, and has for an object to provide a bandage of superior quality built up of various components wherein are contained means for giving said bandage the desired form and at the same time render the same flexible throughout its entire length and slightly compressible, yet self-sustaining, in a direction crosswise of the bandage.

A further obj ect of my invention is to produce at a low cost of manufacture an article of this class whereby advantages of elficiency and mode of operation may be obtained.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view representing a bandage made in accordance with my present improvements. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view in line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the bandage, the view being taken in line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a portion of the bandage, showing one form of a cellular transmitting layer and side-embracing member. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are detail views of other forms of the side-bracing or cellular member.

Similar characters of reference indicate like figures in all the drawings.

A leading feature of the present improvement consists in the combination, of the receiving-surface portion of the bandage, of a chambered or cellular flexible member combined with absorbent material contained in the chamber-space thereof and having means for retainin such material in such chamberspace or ce l-space. In Figs. 2 and 3 the chamber-space or cell-space member 4 isillustrated as being of the general character shown in perspective in Fig. 4. Said space member (designated in a general way by 4) is shown in Fig. 2 with the strips 5 in section and with the cell-space 5 filled with granular material.

For use as a suitable material for this purpose ordinary sand 5, properly graded as to size, may be employed, and in some cases the granules (whether of sand or of other material) may be treated by antiseptic or medicated materials deposited thereon as a coating. This latter feature is more fully set forth in my concurrently pending application, Serial No. 195,729, filed February 29, 1904.

For holding the absorptive mass or granular mass within the chamber-space or cellspace of the member 4 I prefer to provide this with a surface sheet or layer 2 on the outer or receiving surface of the bandage and to provide another but similar readily-permeable sheet or fabric, as 3, underneath said space member 4, as indicated at 2 and 3, Figs. 2 and 3. The principal absorbent mass 6 is shown located immediately below said receiving-surface member. In some cases the lower sheet 3 of said surface member may be omitted, especially when the absorbent mass 6 is formed of a material of such character and iineness as will sufficiently prevent the displacement of the material that is employed for filling the spaces of said receivingsurface member.

In the drawings the absorptive member 6 is shown carried in some suitable coversheet, which is indicated in a general way by 8. This covering or holder may consist of a suitable fabric, preferably waterproofed, of light weight, which may, if desired, be specially woven for the purpose. The ends of the sheet are shown folded to form attaching portions 8/ and 8 for the bandage. In practice this fold may be made as indicated, for instance, in Fig. 1, the edges 9 and 11 being folded one over the other and held in place by stitching or by a metallic or other suitable connecting means, as indicated, for instance, at 13.

In Fig. 5 a modification of said space member 4 is illustrated, this being formed of a plurality of longitudinally-disposed strips 10, which being suitably notched or cut are interlocked with the successive transverse portions 12 of the strip 14. These transverse portions being connected by the bends 15 and 16, it will be evident that the structure illustrated in Fig. 5 corresponds substantially with the illustrations of this member of the bandage in the form illustrated in IOO 1o disposed folds or bends, which are shown connected together at the outer ends of the bends by taA es or other suitable strips 17 and 18. T ese strips may be attached to the bends by fastening devices or gluing. Also, as indicated by the dotted lines 19, said folded members may be connected together along a medial line bya corresponding strip, this strip beinO suitably attached to or connected with the said space member. The

zo sinuously-folded strip, held together in some such manner as that indicated in Figs. 6 and S, Will compress longitudinally, but cannot eXtend in that direction. Contraction longitudinally Will not close the opening of the bandage, Whereas a considerable longitudinal extension Would have a tendency to collapse the bandage and shut the receivingopening. In Fig. 7 the portion of a chambered receiving-surface member is represent'- ed as being formed of a single strip 20, folded back and forth to form similar` but oppositely-disposed chambers or cells 20, the strip being held in place by gluing together the contacting portions of the folds or in lieu thereof inserting a suitable attaching tack or device, as indicated, for instance, at 21. It is evident this construction is adapted to be made in varying proportions to suit the requirements in anyv particular case as to depth, length, and Width required for the cell-space member of the bandage. In Fig. 8 a construction is shown similar to that represented in Fig. 7; but in this case the connecting together of the several transverse portions of the cell member is represented as being attained by the employment of a central cord or Wire, (indicated at 22.) This form has the advantage of being readily manufactured in varying shapes and pro- 5o portions and of securing a high degree of flexibility in all directions, While furnishing a relatively high resistance against compression in a direction transversely of the bandage. At the same time the curved form of the end Walls of the successive cells or space along the edge of the space member provides for a small degree of local compressibility Without too great danger of a complete collapse of the bandage laterally thereof n 6o subjection to moderate pressure.

` A further feature of the present improvement relates to increasing the stability of such a space member by employing the spaces thereof for containing a relatively resistant absorbent material, especially When this material is of a granular character. While this combination of the structural components of the bandage does not materially modify or reduce the flexibility of the same Within required limits, such a filling of the cell-space of the space member assists in maintaining the proper degree of side-bracing effect, While permitting the space member to be manufactured of relatively thin strips of suitably-treated paper or analogous material having the advantage of an exceptionally-low cost.

lt is not intended to claim a mass of material having an organized series of cells or spaces, as this constitutes in part the subject-matter of my copending apherein broadly i plication Serial No. 212,276, filed June 13,

rial No. 211,931, filed June 10, 1904; nor an n l absorbent material made up of a mass of fibrous material and a granular material, since this constitutes in part the subject-matter of my copending application, Serial No. 195,729, filed February 29, 1904.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a bandage, the combination of a cover-sheet, an open-mesh receiving-sheet, a body of absorbent material Within t e coversheet, a member having throughout it a plurality of cell-spaces opening against such receiving-sheet and against the absorbent, and granular material Within said cell-spaces and in communication with the receiving-sheet.

2. In a bandage, the combination with a body of absorbent material, of means to maintain the said absorbent material in place and having an opening, a body of sand adj acent to said opening and upon thel absorbent material, and means to separate the said body of sand into small portions, each portion lying at such opening.

3. A bandage comprising supporting means,

a cellular structure carried thereby, and an absorbent material in each of the cells of said structure.

4. In a bandage, the combination with a sheet having an opening, of a thin open-mesh fabric covering the said opening, absorbent material Within the sheet, a body of sand between the absorbent and the opening-cover, and means to distend the said opening and to maintain, at said opening, a surface on the sand of considerable area.

5. In a bandage, 'the combination With a body of absorbent material, means to hold the same in place, a chambered side-bracing member therein, and sand within and reinforcing the side-bracing member.

6. Abandage comprising supporting means, a body of absorb ent material carried thereby,

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a cellular structure also carried thereby, and a granular absorbent in cells thereof.

7 A bandage comprising supporting means, absorbent material carried thereby, absorbent material of a different kind also carried thereby, and means for separating said last absorbent material into separate bodies or portions one from another.

8. A bandage comprising a cover-sheet, a body of fibrous absorbent material therein arranged to form a chamber-space, and sand or analogous granular material located within said chamber-space.

9. In a bandage, the combination with a body of absorbent material, open-mesh fab- -ric at the opening thereof, means to maintain the fabric at the opening distended, and means carried by said distending means for communicating between such open-mesh fabric and the absorbent material.

10. A bandage comprising an absorbent body, a plurality of organized and separated bodies of sand or analogous granulary material therein, and means for carrying the same.

11. A bandage comprising a cover-sheet,

an absorbent body therein, a cellular structure thereon, and an open-mesh fabric surrounding such cellular structure.

12. A bandage comprising an absorptive mass, a body having a number of cell-spaces and made up of a number of thin narrow strips arranged to produce cells and adapted for receiving the matter for absorption and for distributing the same to the absorptive mass, and means within said cells for initially absorbing said matter.

13. A member for a bandage comprising a body having a number of cells, said cells being formed by the folding of a strip upon itself, and means to hold the strip in its folded form and to permit longitudinal compression of said member but to prevent longitudinal extension thereof.

Signed at Nos. 9 to 15 Murray street, New York, N. Y., this 9th day of June, 1904.

WILLARD R. GREEN.

Witnesses FRED. J. DOLE, JOHN O. SEIFERT. 

